Bought it at best buy using a gift certificate I got for Christmas.Wasn't disappointed.The first hour gives you a "been there, done that" feeling but the final half hour has some good surprises that will warrant a second viewing.

I can't help but wonder how much better it would have been had they followed Lovecraft's original short story (Herbert West-Re-Animator). The turn of the century feel of the story would have given the movie a much needed spooky atmosphere.

Something else I'd like to point out...This movie has a reputation for being a horror/comedy.Where was the humor?A decapitated head attempting cunninglingus? That's it?The West character had a few chuckable lines ("whose gonna believe a talking head? Get a job and a sideshow") but other than that I didn't laugh at anything.

I agree with everything you said, that's pretty much what I also feel about the movie.

The decision to make Herbert West a modern-day character is the biggest flaw in the movie. Other than that, I really don't have any other major complaint. The movies is what it was supposed to be from the start - brainless gory fun.

The movie is certainly far from being a comedy, but it also is far away from being a real horror. The ending scenes, if I remember correctly, when all the zombies are going wild, could probably have been done darker. Especially if it was set in one of those old gothic wannabe hospitals from the start of the century.

Something else I'd like to point out...This movie has a reputation for being a horror/comedy.Where was the humor?A decapitated head attempting cunninglingus? That's it?The West character had a few chuckable lines ("whose gonna believe a talking head? Get a job and a sideshow") but other than that I didn't laugh at anything.

7/10

Better get a vial of Herbert West's glowing re-agent and inject yourself immediately. Your sense of humor is in serious need of re-animation.

Jeffrey Combs's line readings are hilarious. All of 'em. Even when the words are pedestrian, his delivery has me laughing out loud. ("Yes. Parts. I've never done whole . . . parts.") Some of the physical humor he does is good too. The bit where the re-animated cat puppet is supposedly clawing his back always puts me in, heh, stitches. Then when the cat is dead (again), he does the "Look out!" gag. An absolute scream.

It just gets funnier once West has decapitated Dr. Hill. He's having trouble getting the head to stay upright in the tray, but then the spindle holding his notes gives him an idea . . . Hah! The opening exchange between the re-animated head and West is also funny:

Head: West!HW [preparing to take notes]: What are you thinking? How do you feel?Head: You . . .HW [writing]: "You . . ."HW: . . . . baaaastaaaaaard!

There's lots of humor resulting from Dr. Hill's decapitated body moving about under the imperfect control of the separated head. When the body has trouble getting plasma out of the mini-fridge, the head actually rolls his eyes. Then, even before the "giving head" joke, there's an even funnier bit where the body is groping the naked girl while the unattached head indicates he's really enjoying himself. This gives rise to another of Comb's great line readings: "You disappoint me Dr. Hill . . . trysting with a bubble-headed co-ed."

Combs is not the whole show, however. The actor playing the security guard at the morgue never fails to amuse. The guy is always taking a break, principally, it seems, so that he won't be around if anything bad should happen. One of the scenes has him at his desk reading a copy of "Boudoir" magazine. When someone shows up and goes into the morgue, he immediately departs with what could be his signature line: "Break time."

I have not even begun to enumerate the many gags in this very amusing film.

btw, FC, I need to disabuse you of a misconception. Lovecraft wrote "Herbert West--Reanimator" not as a short story, but as a serial. The six parts appeared in six successive issues of something called Home Brew (p. 823, Library of America ed). To do the episodes justice in a "faithful" dramatic version you'd have to do a six-part TV series.

Logged

That's what you get, Drink, for not appreciating the genius of When You Read This Letter.

Jeffrey Combs's line readings are hilarious. All of 'em. Even when the words are pedestrian, his delivery has me laughing out loud. ("Yes. Parts. I've never done whole . . . parts.") Some of the physical humor he does is good too. The bit where the re-animated cat puppet is supposedly clawing his back always puts me in, heh, stitches. Then when the cat is dead (again), he does the "Look out!" gag. An absolute scream.

The "look out!" gag felt awkward and misplaced. In fact when it happened I had to look over my shoulder to make sure nobody else was in the room during that embarassing moment.Thankfully, nobody was (phew!).

There's lots of humor resulting from Dr. Hill's decapitated body moving about under the imperfect control of the separated head. When the body has trouble getting plasma out of the mini-fridge, the head actually rolls his eyes. Then, even before the "giving head" joke, there's an even funnier bit where the body is groping the naked girl while the unattached head indicates he's really enjoying himself. This gives rise to another of Comb's great line readings: "You disappoint me Dr. Hill . . . trysting with a bubble-headed co-ed."

btw, FC, I need to disabuse you of a misconception. Lovecraft wrote "Herbert West--Reanimator" not as a short story, but as a serial. The six parts appeared in six successive issues of something called Home Brew (p. 823, Library of America ed). To do the episodes justice in a "faithful" dramatic version you'd have to do a six-part TV series.

I knew this already. I said "short story" because I didn't want to get into a big pointless paragrapgh explaining the origin of a 20 paged story (hence, short story).

I also know that Lovecraft had no love for this particular tale. It was too "explicit" compared to his more suddle works.

Satire is humor, humor is comedy (in movies). But FMJ isn't a comedy, just like Re-Animator.

I don't know what world you're living in, but in the one I inhabit terms are not interchangeable; satire is not (necessarily) humor, humor is not comedy (just as "weather" is not "climate"). English has the largest vocabulary of any language in the world for a reason. We have these different terms so we can better draw distinctions.

Logged

That's what you get, Drink, for not appreciating the genius of When You Read This Letter.

I don't know what world you're living in, but in the one I inhabit terms are not interchangeable; satire is not (necessarily) humor, humor is not comedy (just as "weather" is not "climate"). English has the largest vocabulary of any language in the world for a reason. We have these different terms so we can better draw distinctions.

Exactly why I find strange that Re-Animator is considered a comedy. Thank you, Dave. I rest my case.